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whatcassiedid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow I really loved this! Very intense worldbuilding that was a little confusing at the start, but made a lot more sense as it went on. The jumping around in timelines kind of reminded me of This Is How You Lose The Time War, which I adored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
gladiolus17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I thought Middlegame had great characters and such an interesting premise. Dodger and Roger were very fleshed out and I was invested in their relationship. My favorite character was Erin, though!
The other thing the book did well was metaphors. Sometimes you see books that throw in a metaphor just to be beautiful, but these ones extended the meaning of what they were comparing AND were unique and beautiful.
I was also blown away by how the timeline fit everything together. First I was confused, but then everything fell into place and I was very satisfied.
I did feel certain things were repetitive on a sentence and scene level. I’m not sure if it was necessary to have Roger and Dodger part so many times, as it dragged the narrative down a bit. As well, I felt that the metaphors around math and language were overused sometimes, since Roger and Dodger were often described as not being good at each other’s disciplines.
All in all, an enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Fire/Fire injury
redkeys's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death
hanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Car accident
cameronreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I put off reading this book for so long and it was because I knew I was going to love it and wanted to 'save it', but love doesn't put into words how amazing this book was. It was one of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, and whilst I was confused for most of it (and still somewhat am) it was in such a delightful way that added to the amazing atmosphere and made the experience infinitely better. The characters were so deep and complex and I loved watching Roger and Dodger grow up and how their relationship developed throughout the years. I love how Seanan McGuire utilises all her characters to the fullest and truly fleshes out each one, allowing us to read from so many perspectives and really get a sense for what's going on. The 'magic' system was wonderful and confusing in the best possible way. It was dark and atmospheric and simultaneously heart-breaking and joyful. I adored this book. Seanan McGuire did it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction
meliroo's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 ⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
caidyn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This review can also be found on my blog!
I received this ARC from Tor in exchange for an honest review!
4.5/5
CW: self-harm, suicide attempt, murder, gore, and death
Y’all. Like, y’all.
I cannot believe this book because I came into it with very little knowledge — it sounded interesting from what I’d heard and I knew that I’d probably love it because it’s Seanan McGuire — and I was not disappointed.
While I went into this thinking that it was fantasy, it was definitely sci-fi. There’s alchemy and creating people for scientific purposes. Twins yet not twins. (Aka, Roger and Dodger.) Separated from birth to see what might happen. Yet, they can contact each other remotely without even knowing how they’re doing it or their relationship.
I loved how this book covered the breadth of their lives. It started from when they were children and kept following them into their late-twenties or early-thirties. And, throughout it, you get to see a peek of what is to come.
It’s an incredibly impressive work. When I got my hands on this ARC, I wasn’t expecting the size. It’s around 530 pages, which is huge compared to the Wayward Children series that I’m familiar with. But, I’m so glad that I was finally able to see how McGuire writes a novel, not a novella.
The main characters are incredibly compelling. I kept wanting things to go differently and that opening??? Damn. It starts with disaster at the end and then you’re left wondering how the hell you’re going to get there. Which only gets more confusing as the book unfolds and you find out more.
But, let me backtrack a bit rather than just gush about how much I enjoyed this book. Roger is the twin that is gifted with language. And language isn’t just words. It stretches further than that and shows the full breadth of what language is, even though we don’t consider it so. Then, there’s Dodger. She’s the twin gifted with math. Numbers are everything to her, the only thing that matters… besides Roger.
The book really starts out with their childhood and how they “meet”. Then we follow them as they grow up. At one point, there is a major suicide attempt and hints of self-harm, which gets remembered throughout the story. It wasn’t easy to read, but it was well-handled.
Also in the book is the science-y stuff that helped make them. Personally, I found that side less compelling. I wasn’t that interested in what the “bad guys” were doing or anything like that. While I found it interesting to read and it added to the story, I just wasn’t that compelled by it. I wanted to know more about the relationships, not the numbers/science.
Which is kind of why I took a half star off my total. I just didn’t feel the science side of the story was as well fleshed out as the characters were. There were some terms used that I vaguely understood — as in, I knew what McGuire was getting at, but I didn’t quite know what it meant at the same time — and even when I finished the book I wasn’t that sure.
However, I never wanted to put this book down. I just wanted to keep reading it because I had to know what crazy things were going to happen next.
Original review:
WELP.
I just need this book.
I received this ARC from Tor in exchange for an honest review!
4.5/5
CW: self-harm, suicide attempt, murder, gore, and death
Y’all. Like, y’all.
I cannot believe this book because I came into it with very little knowledge — it sounded interesting from what I’d heard and I knew that I’d probably love it because it’s Seanan McGuire — and I was not disappointed.
While I went into this thinking that it was fantasy, it was definitely sci-fi. There’s alchemy and creating people for scientific purposes. Twins yet not twins. (Aka, Roger and Dodger.) Separated from birth to see what might happen. Yet, they can contact each other remotely without even knowing how they’re doing it or their relationship.
I loved how this book covered the breadth of their lives. It started from when they were children and kept following them into their late-twenties or early-thirties. And, throughout it, you get to see a peek of what is to come.
It’s an incredibly impressive work. When I got my hands on this ARC, I wasn’t expecting the size. It’s around 530 pages, which is huge compared to the Wayward Children series that I’m familiar with. But, I’m so glad that I was finally able to see how McGuire writes a novel, not a novella.
The main characters are incredibly compelling. I kept wanting things to go differently and that opening??? Damn. It starts with disaster at the end and then you’re left wondering how the hell you’re going to get there. Which only gets more confusing as the book unfolds and you find out more.
But, let me backtrack a bit rather than just gush about how much I enjoyed this book. Roger is the twin that is gifted with language. And language isn’t just words. It stretches further than that and shows the full breadth of what language is, even though we don’t consider it so. Then, there’s Dodger. She’s the twin gifted with math. Numbers are everything to her, the only thing that matters… besides Roger.
The book really starts out with their childhood and how they “meet”. Then we follow them as they grow up. At one point, there is a major suicide attempt and hints of self-harm, which gets remembered throughout the story. It wasn’t easy to read, but it was well-handled.
Also in the book is the science-y stuff that helped make them. Personally, I found that side less compelling. I wasn’t that interested in what the “bad guys” were doing or anything like that. While I found it interesting to read and it added to the story, I just wasn’t that compelled by it. I wanted to know more about the relationships, not the numbers/science.
Which is kind of why I took a half star off my total. I just didn’t feel the science side of the story was as well fleshed out as the characters were. There were some terms used that I vaguely understood — as in, I knew what McGuire was getting at, but I didn’t quite know what it meant at the same time — and even when I finished the book I wasn’t that sure.
However, I never wanted to put this book down. I just wanted to keep reading it because I had to know what crazy things were going to happen next.
Original review:
WELP.
I just need this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury